Film and TV Reviews

This movie, follows the life of a man with autism, who has used his incredible brain function to his advantage and has become a run of the mill accountant. This synopsis doesn’t make it sound very exciting, but it is actually an action film, with a hint of Rain Man. He takes on the accounting of criminal organisations, but is shortly being hunted by a Treasury Agent (J.K Simmons).

You are shown parts of his childhood, most of which are his father trying to toughen both of his sons up by training them to fight and stand up to bullies etc. But also showing the frustration of his autism, such as when he cannot finish a puzzle as he has lost the last piece (heartbreaking and excellently acted by young actor Seth Lee).

He takes on a new client as an accountant who are looking for some missing money in the books. Anna Kendrick plays the accountant who originally noticed there was something wrong here, and her endearing, personable nature shines through this character. Even though Chris (Ben Affleck) is unconsciously unfriendly, she still makes an impression and he becomes very fond of her. So when her life becomes at risk, he is motivated to do whatever is in his power to keep her from harm.

The overall plot of the film is good, with twists and turns, the odd surprise along the way, it is satisfactory! It didn’t blow my mind, as I could predict one of the surprises coming, but in all fairness there weren’t many plot holes and it was an engaging watch.

The acting of the film was also excellent, Anna Kendrick always manages to play the character you can empathise with and enables the audience to relate to someone in the mad world unfolding. If I had any criticism, it is that she doesn’t have more of a leading role, or at least got a little more screen time.

Ben Affleck plays his part well, it is a little bit textbook how he portrays a man with autism, but on the other hand he is respectful and you do start to really feel for the character. I don’t know if he did most of his own stunts, but the fight scenes were on point and believable. J.K. Simmons is an excellent actor and carries this through this role. However I feel his skill set lies in roles where he plays a ‘harsh boss’ such as in Whiplash the character is quite similar.

The only thing I think the film lacked is more of a climax, I felt like I was constantly waiting for that big moment or unveiling that just didn’t happen. Quite a lot of build up that wasn’t released.

To conclude I would recommend this film, it is not particularly light-hearted, but surprisingly heart warming. I rate this film 3.5/5 stars. ★★★★